


A Day Too Many

by another_illusion



Series: A Series of Prompts [1]
Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/F, Happy Ending, dina is super worried, she has a sort of heart to heart with joel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 17:44:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15296718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/another_illusion/pseuds/another_illusion
Summary: Things take a bad turn during a patrol and Dina is left to worry about the safety of her girlfriend.





	A Day Too Many

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, this is a response to a prompt: "can you write some angst for Ellie/Dina? Maybe Ellie gets hurt or something. anything really, i just need more ellie/dina angst in my life lmao thanks!"
> 
> This is in the same universe as my last fic about Dina and Ellie's first time. Hope you guys like it!

To say Dina was livid was an understatement. Her lungs burned with exertion as she pushed her legs to run faster, jump higher as she avoided fallen trees and holes all around the muddy forest leading home. Cursing lowly she narrowly avoided a stray clicker right as Jesse cut beside her to slash at its head with a machete. The berating look he gave her only served to fuel her sour mood and she pushed past him with a roll of her eyes, shoulder bumping against his.

"Be careful," Jesse said as he jogged up to her side, voice low as he scanned the area for more infected or raiders. "Being careless isn't going to help this situation any."

"Well, aren't you captain obvious." She glared his way, picking up speed as they approached the end of the wooded area just beyond their settlement. The sooner they got back, the sooner she'd be able to enlist a group to go back out and fix the mess they'd made. "Not like I can do much of anything with my hands tied." She made a point to raise her hands up to his face.

"I'm serious, Dina. I know you're upset, but if you get hurt then what Ellie did was all for nothing."

"You think I don't know that?" Dina fumed as she picked up the pace. She didn't have time for Jesse's lecture. Especially considering he was as much at fault as Ellie was.

"If anyone can get out of this it's Ellie," he said lowly as he matched her speed. "She's okay."

"Is she?" That was all Dina had to say. Because they didn't know that Ellie was okay and even though she didn't have much of a say in the matter, she still felt as though she'd left her to die.

Their patrol had started like any other. The small group of five scouting the area in a nearby neighborhood, stopping occasionally to search for anything useful they may be able to take back home with them. Dina's honestly not quite sure how one minute she was making Ellie blush a thousand shades of red, as she teased her with a rather large 'toy' she'd found stowed beneath a bed, and the next a gunshot was heard and Jesse was yelling for them to take cover.

Ellie had quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards a vanity, both kneeling beside it as Ellie shielded her with her bow at the ready. Reaching for a new clip for her pistol, Dina reloaded and readied herself as well while Ellie closed her eyes to tune into the sound of footsteps just outside.

"I think I hear two of 'em. Not infected or clickers," Ellie whispered. She took slow steps, keeping low to the ground and approached the open door to peek through the slit at its frame. There were, in fact, two raiders surveying the floor.

"I can take the one on the left," Dina responded as she crept up behind Ellie who looked back into brown eyes with worry. They'd had many a conversation about Dina being more than capable of taking care of herself, but Ellie insisted she would always take care of her no matter how capable she may be. It was with a reluctant nod that Ellie agreed and pulled out her hunting knife. Dina pulled a knife of her own out and with Ellie's signal, they slowly inched towards the raiders.

Ellie navigated her way to the small bathroom on the right as Dina did the same towards a room on the left. With a finesse that they'd mastered with years of patrolling together, they both went for the kill. The unsuspecting raiders fell quickly, thankfully with little sound as to not alert any other potential raiders of their whereabouts.

Several gunshots sounded off again on the lower level of the house and both girls took cover again. A pained sound could be heard from a familiar voice and Dina's wide eyes locked onto Ellie's from across the hallway. James, Dina thought.

"Where the fuck are they?" A booming voice demanded as the sound of metal slamming harshly against a wall could be heard. Another yelp of pain was heard. Ellie mouthed an 'it's okay' in a way that Dina couldn't help but believe. Those bright eyes stared right at her and promised her that they would make it home, they always did. Dina smiled appreciatively in response until Ellie's gaze turned from one of calm to absolute horror. Before she even understood what was happening, Ellie sprinted towards her and knocked her away from the doorframe as she tackled a body behind her.

When Dina was able to get her bearings again she watched Ellie struggle with a raider who'd apparently been hiding and waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack them.

"Fucker," Ellie exclaimed with a grimace, the raider perched above her using his weight to hold her down. Dina sprinted into action and with all the force she could muster she impaled the raider in just the right spot to end him. Ellie groaned as his weight fell over her, but Dina quickly helped her push the man aside.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" She whispered, hands cupping Ellie's face gingerly as her eyes landed on a knife wedged deep into the flesh of Ellie's left thigh, thankfully missing any major arteries.

"Never better," Ellie croaked with a sarcastic grin that Dina kissed softly. Downstairs they heard more commotion as it appeared the raiders now knew someone else was in the house with them. Dina nodded resolutely while helping Ellie on her feet. "We gotta get outta here," Ellie urged, eyes already looking for an escape.

"No, we have to patch this up. It could get infected," Dina argued, fingers slowly caressing Ellie's arm.

"We don't have time," Ellie pleaded as she grabbed Dina's hand and with a mild limp to her step, led her toward the open window of the bedroom. Footsteps could be heard as the raiders began walking up the stairs towards them. Dina and Ellie worked their way out of the window, climbed down towards a lower ledge and with Dina's help they were able to get to the ground level without any further injury to Ellie.

"The window!" They heard a gruff voice boom from the bedroom they'd managed to escape.

"Shit," Ellie hissed. Just as they were about to sprint across the street and to the cover of the trees there, strong hands gripped them and pulled them towards the backyard instead. Ellie released a pained groaned as the force of the tug dug the knife deeper into her thigh. It was with great strength that she pulled away from the hold.

"What the fuck, Jesse?" Dina whispered heatedly as she inspected Ellie's wound again, heart slamming against her ribs. She did her best to soothe some of the ache with whispered words of optimism. When she was satisfied that Ellie wasn't in serious immediate danger, besides the obvious group of raiders out to get them, she made eye contact with Jesse who shushed them as they crouched, her arm wrapped securely around Ellie's midsection.

"Be quiet," He hissed. "There's about twenty of them from what I could see."

"James?" Ellie asked, her voice croaking through cracked lips. Jesse shook his head as they crept behind a bush. Ellie nodded solemnly but knew better than to dwell on it at the moment, right now they just needed to get to safety.

"We're not workin' with our usual raiders here. These guys are different," Jesse remarked.

"Different how?" Dina asked, brow furrowed and eyes darting in every direction to make sure they were still in the clear.

"I took a couple of them down. They were mumbling some nonsense about sinners and sacrificial lambs or what not."

"What the fuck?" Ellie mumbled, hand reaching for the knife after pulling out a roll of bandages. Dina watched in horror as Ellie pulled it out in one swift motion, teeth biting down on her lower lip to keep from crying out in pain. Grabbing the bandages from Ellie, she set out to wrap the wound as fast as she was able to with trembling fingers. There was so much blood, and while Ellie smiled up at her fondly to reassure her, she knew that if she lost much more of it she would be in big trouble.

"Assholes grabbed James and gutte-" Jesse stopped himself, deciding his friends didn't need to know the horrible fate that saw James. "They're sick," he whispered, jaw clenched tight as he thought of all the ways he could've saved him, but didn't.

"What's the plan?" Ellie asked. A careful hand rubbed her thigh slowly as the bandage was wrapped tight, stopping the blood flow for now. They really needed to get home.

Jesse pointed across the street towards a broken down car just ahead of them. "We run there, scout a little bit and when we're clear we book it for the trees." They nodded, not seeing any other option as viable.

They moved as quietly as possible at least a couple of miles, Jesse helping Ellie along. After checking the surrounding area and tracing the raiders' movements they headed towards their destination. A deep breath of relief fell from Dina's lips as they jogged at a pace that wouldn't strain Ellie's leg. It'd been a close call. If only she'd checked the room for others, maybe then Ellie wouldn't have been hurt in the process. Guilt gnawed at her as she glanced to her left every so often, keeping a close eye on Ellie's condition.

"Hold up," Jesse whispered as he moved he and Ellie to a crouch, Dina following. A large log offered them plenty of cover as Jesse retrieved his scoped gun to get a better look at their surroundings, crouching enough to peak his head above it. Ellie groaned quietly, a sheen of preparation visible on her flush skin, her face in a grimace as she held onto her thigh and sat against the tree.

"I'm okay," Ellie said when Dina placed a hand over hers, fingers intertwining. As another grimace spread across Ellie's face, Dina cussed lowly.

"What's the holdup? We have to get outta here," she said with her eyes on Jesse who simply shook his head for several too long moments. "What?" Another shake. "What is it?" Still no reply. "For the love of-" Grabbing Jesse's gun, an entirely horrible idea where gun safety is concerned, she looked down the scope to see what the problem was. She almost wishes she hadn't as she turned in a circle to take in the depth of the situation.

"Holy shit."

"Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" Ellie demanded with an annoyed crinkle of her eyebrows.

"We're fucked," Jesse mumbled with a defeated breath.

"What?"

"Shit, shit, shit." His voice choppy as his breaths became quicker and less coordinated.

"We're surrounded," Dina finally explained as she lowered the gun and leaned back against the log to join Ellie.

"Hate to say it, but it doesn't look like we have a way outta this," Jesse said, making a point to survey the area one more time before crouching down to the girls' level.

They remained in a tense silence. Dina noticed throughout it that Ellie was looking at Jesse with an expression that turned her stomach into knots. She'd seen that look once before.

"Jesse," Ellie said, eyes darting to Dina for a second and then back to Jesse's. Dina was shaking her head before Jesse responded with her name in kind. This is not happening. It took her only a second to realize that she'd said it out loud. To realize that she was wrapping an arm around Ellie's in a tight grip. Ellie offered a sad smile as she gently coaxed Dina to let her go.

"You don't have to do this," Jesse defended weakly. Ellie laughed with little mirth and shook her head. The glint in Jesse's eye, the small flash of hope that shined on his face as he pondered the possibility of Ellie not being in the picture was the reason why she knew he would do what she'd silently asked him to. It wasn't that they weren't friends and he didn't care about her, no. There was just someone he cared about in a different way. Someone who he would protect with his life. And Ellie needed him to follow through. She needed Dina to be safe.

"I'll distract them. You guys take cover in the tall grass over there while I get their attention. It should give you enough time to lose them and cover your tracks."

"Are you out of your mind?" Dina demanded, her voice shaking as she shook her head vehemently. "There is no way we're leaving you behind. You're hurt."

Their heads snapped over towards the sound of a twig snapping. They were running out of time. Ellie groaned as she swiped Jesse's gun and stood up in plain sight. Dina's worried call of her name didn't deter her.

"Hey! Over here. You fuckers want a sinner? Come and get me." Ellie projected loudly, her words spreading throughout the trees and alerting any living being in the area of her presence.

"Ellie, get down!" Dina urged desperately, hands wrapping around Ellie's arm to tug her down, paying no mind to her injury if it meant she wouldn't expose herself.

"Dina, we gotta go." Jesse's eyes darted around, hand already wrapped around her unoccupied arm. The bushes directly in front of them rustled to reveal several raiders taking purposeful strides towards their log.

"Like hell we do, I'm not leaving her!" Her voice raised only the slightest bit as the reality of the situation started to sink in. Words of prophecy and light fell from the raiders lips, low and intent though growing louder as they neared. Ellie gained her attention, hand on her cheek, green eyes boring into her own with a plea to listen to her.

"I-I," Ellie stumbled through her words. With a shake of her head, she changed her tune. "I'm sorry, I have to do this." Soft lips pressed against her cheek and before she could reach for her, Ellie was up and running -as well as she would with her aching leg- successfully deterring the raiders.

* * *

"You did what!?" Joel's voice boomed with rage, hands holding tight to Jesse's collar as he propped him up against a wall. Dina, who'd been rubbing her sore wrists stepped forward and placed a hand on Joel's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

"Joel, we have to get back out there and find her," Dina pressed. Joel shook his head and tightened his grip.

"Not until he tells me what the hell he was thinking leaving her there!" Joel waited for Jesse to answer, but all he could do was hold his hands up in surrender, throat bobbing with a nervous gulp. He'd been witness to Joel's protectiveness of Ellie, but never like this.

"It's what she wanted," Jesse responded tentatively, eyes finally maintaining contact with Joel's. Joel for his part scoffed and pushed him back against the wall harshly before letting him go. He ran a frustrated hand against his face, breathed a deep sigh and landed his pointed gaze back onto Jesse.

"You tellin' me she wanted you to tie up her girlfriend and drag her away while you left her to die? Is that what you're tellin' me?" Joel chided with a dangerous tone, eyes narrowed and fist clenched. Dina groaned as she paced the room. They didn't have time for their little display of power. Granted Joel had every right to be upset about the situation, but arguing about Jesse's methods of getting Dina to leave didn't matter when Ellie was still out there.

"What was I supposed to do? Drag her with us with her leg like that? We wouldn't have made it here to tell you." There was a pause and after a deep breath he said, "I had to get Dina outta there, okay?"

"Yeah, that's right," Joel drawled, a finger jabbing into Jesse's chest pointedly, understanding part of Jesse's motivation to follow through and leave Ellie. He shook his head, muttered several expletives and looked Jesse dead in the eye. "A better man would've stayed," Joel said, voice dipping.

"There was nothing I could do-"

"Now that's just bullshit, son!" Jesse managed to only flinch a little as Joel returned to yelling. "You know these girls god damn it. They been through hell and back. Killed more men than most of the people here, can hold their own better than me, and you're gonna stand there and tell me that there was nothing you could do!?"

"I did what had to be done," Jesse snapped. Joel took a harsh step towards him.

"Did you? 'Cause I told you to be careful, didn't I? You knew damn well not to venture into those parts, but you still did."

"That's enough!" Dina finally cut in. "Yes, we probably could've done more, but we need to start looking for her before it's too late." Her eyes pleaded with Joel to drop it. She also had a bone to pick with Jesse, but she would get to that when Ellie was back. Joel grumbled and turned his back to the pair, deep in thought as he mumbled something or other about a crew and supplies.

"Okay," he finally said, turning back to look at Dina. "I'll gather up a crew."

"When do we leave?" Dina asked while she began gathering her backpack and weapons that had been discarded on a nearby coffee table.

"I'm sorry, Dina. I can't let you go."

"You're kidding right?" Dina fumed.

"I'm afraid not. See, my kid is out there because she wanted to protect you," Joel spoke seriously, no hint of malice in his tone. "So, you're staying here."

"What is it with everyone thinking they have to fucking protect me like I'm some damsel in distress? You said it yourself, I'm more than capable of holding my own," Dina argued as she tossed her backpack to the ground.

"You are," Joel conceded. "But you and I both know if things go downhill out there and Ellie had to choose between saving you or her, she'd pick you in a heartbeat."

And just like that Dina finally allowed herself to feel the depth of her worry as she collapsed on the couch, face buried in her hands and she allowed tears to flow in silent waves. Joel motioned for Jesse to leave with a nod of his head towards the door when he caught him approaching Dina. When Jesse was finally out of the house, Joel took a seat across from her.

Dina's tears fell continued to fall silently as she looked up to stare vacantly at Joel. There was just so much out of her hands, so much frustration, anger, and fear coursing through her and she wasn't allowed to do the one thing that would bring her any kind of peace. If only Ellie had trusted her to protect be the one to protect her for a change. She absolutely adored Ellie's care and devotion, and she knew that she only had the best of intentions, so why did her chest burn as she felt the sting of betrayal. How dare she put herself in danger and leave Dina with the burden of knowing it was all for her?

Joel cleared his throat, propping his elbows on his knees, hands clasped, expression serious and as warm as he knew how to convey. Blinking away her thoughts, Dina tuned into the older man. "She's tough. She ain't gonna go down without a fight."

"She's hurt, Joel." Dina whimpered. "How is she supposed to stay safe when she's limping around... possibly bleeding out. Please, please, let me help you find her."

For the first time since he'd gotten the news, Joel's lips quirked up just a bit. "I know you care about her, I really do." Dina already knew his answer. "But I can't let you come along." He watched her carefully for a moment, seeing the determination in her eyes. "I can't- no, I won't tie you up 'cause I'm not about to stoop to that level, but I am going to ask that you not go off following us."

"I can't just sit here and do nothing," Dina replied with a growl as she ran her hands through her hair. She shook her head and wiped her tears angrily. "I just don't understand how she could leave when I asked her not to, and to ask Jesse to drag me back here? She should've trusted me!"

"You're right. She should have," Joel agreed. Dina's brow furrowed as she took in the way Joel shook his head with a grin, surprised to hear him say that. "But that's our Ellie isn't it?" Dina couldn't help the small rumble of a laugh that tumbled past her lips. "Always thinking 'bout taking care of everyone but herself."

"She's so frustrating," Dina agreed with a watery laugh, wiping away the last of the tears she'd cried. Joel nodded stood to retrieve some tissue that he offered to her. Dina accepted the tissue gratefully and blew her nose into it with a grimace, finally taking a deep long breath as her shoulders sagged, the depth of the situation taking its toll. Joel rummaged around the house, picking up various weapons and securing several pouches of first aid as he got ready to leave.

Dina swiped her hands on her jeans as she surveyed her surroundings, little knick-knacks and items that belonged to Ellie. She shook her head as she vehemently refused to think of Ellie as if she wasn't alive and well. "Hey, Joel?" He glanced up from reloading a clip for his revolver and regarded Dina with a questioning look. "I have to go let my mom know I'm okay. Would it be cool if I came back here when I'm done with that? I just don't-"

Joel cut her off with a nod, understanding written on his face. "Make yourself at home."

* * *

She did. After letting her mom wrap her up in a tight hug and murmur words of gratitude she gathered some clothing in her backpack and headed back to Joel and Ellie's place. 7:46pm. No less than 3 hours since the incident. She sighed and waltzed to Ellie's room, ignoring the clock above the refrigerator that mocked her.

Upon entering Ellie's bedroom she discarded her things and stood silently, observing the empty bed in front of her. Maybe she should have stayed home. Her first instinct had been to return, to be in a space that would envelop her in everything Ellie. She thought it would make her feel better and distract her if she were able to just lay in the bed she'd shared with her girlfriend so many times. As she sank down into the mattress, however, she realized that there was only one thing that could make this situation better.

She cast her eyes towards the window just to the right of the bed that stood up against a wall, the sun had begun to set. Pink and orange clouds colored the sky and fireflies slowly began appearing, their wings flapping with sparks that reminded Dina of the first time she and Ellie had spent some real time together.

It'd been a cool spring evening, she and Ellie had been scheduled to keep guard by the east gate with a crew of several other members of the community. Dina had been thrilled to find out that the new girl would be joining them. She'd wanted to speak to her from the moment she'd arrived at Jackson. She would have beaten herself up about it, had she not taken full advantage of the opportunity.

So she'd said hello, received a shocked reply and the teasing began. Dina couldn't help but tease Ellie in hopes of seeing those freckled cheeks paint themselves pink with the cutest blush she'd ever seen. She'd told one of the older members of the patrol that she and Ellie were going to check on the western perimeter of the settlement, make sure there weren't any teens past curfew messing around in the river.

It'd been a lie. Well, half a lie. They did survey the river and make sure they were alone, that the fences were still intact, and the guards on that end of the settlement were awake and doing their job. But as soon as they were done with that, Dina held Ellie's hand with a wide grin and led her to a corner of the river, boasting about the most amazing sight.

Ellie had, of course, stuttered her way through a response, wide green eyes briefly looking down at their entwined hands. Dina paid her lack of faculties no mind and led her just beyond a small grove. She'll never forget the look on Ellie's face, awestruck and so beautiful as the light of dozens of fireflies lit up the space. She'd whispered a soft "fireflies," with childlike wonder as though she'd never seen them before, but Dina knew she was amazed at the sheer quantity of them as they flitted around their bodies.

Yes, it was a night she'd never forget. A night where they ended up sitting by that river closer than two stranger ever ought to, telling stories about how they'd gotten to Jackson. A night where Dina made Ellie laugh for the first time and vowed to keep telling bad jokes if it meant she got to hear that sweet melody again.

She sighed long and deep into the night. Slinging lazily off the side of the bed, legs still propped up there, she reached with her arms for her backpack and retrieved a watch, plopping straight back into bed with a groan. 7:55pm. It would be a very long night. Coming to terms with that fact, she turned on her side and pulled Ellie's lone pillow against her chest, wrapped her arms around it, and closed her eyes.

"She's okay, she's okay, she's okay..." Dina whispered, her mantra getting lost in the night with those dancing fireflies and the sight of the moon just on the horizon. She eventually stopped as exhaustion claimed her fully, but not without thinking those words to existence in her dreams.

* * *

A couple soft knocks woke Dina up. For a moment she simply groaned and rolled over, but when the knocking happened again she finally remembered where she was. With a jolt, she got out of bed and opened the door, heart racing, and chest heaving as she looked up to greet Joel. She took a moment to glance back at the window and saw that the sun was barely beginning to rise.

"Please tell me you found her," Dina said in a rush, eyes glossy and pleading with Joel to give her some good news. Joel smiled warmly.

"We did, she's safe," Joel responded. The breath that Dina released was long. She ran her hands through her hair and looked up at Joel with an appreciation she couldn't express, eyes wet and legs moving before she could stop herself. Joel huffed as Dina hugged him. Not being the kind of person to typically hug anyone, he awkwardly pat Dina's back in his best show of support before she pulled away to wipe at her tears.

It took all but a couple of minutes for Dina to pull some shoes on (fortunately, she'd slept with her clothes on) and head out with Joel. As they walked he filled her in on Ellie's condition and treatment, stitches for her leg wound, a splint for her ankle, and as many painkillers as they could provide any one patient. It helped, and with every step she took, Dina felt some of her worries dissipate; and as she finally pushed through the infirmary door and made eye contact with Ellie, laying on a bed, bruised face freshly cleaned, eyes shut and flitting around behind her lids, she only had one thought cross her mind.

"Whoa! Wha-" Ellie stuttered with a start as arms wrapped around her and a body lay close to her. It took her a moment to catch her bearings, but once she did she smiled softly and wrapped the arm beneath Dina around her waist to hold her close. Joel watched the scene fondly and took his leave shortly after.

Tears soaked through her shirt as Dina kissed the skin of her neck as softly as possible in her attempt not to hurt her. "Dina," Ellie sighed. Dina's lips continued their sweet play across bruised skin, fingers moving up to trace marks that suggested someone's hands had gotten quite the hold on Ellie. Moving closer to Ellie seemed to be Dina's only goal as she whimpered every time she grazed a particularly dark bruise. "It's okay," Ellie promised quietly. "I'm okay."

"I thought...," Dina trailed off using Ellie's shirt wipe at her flush cheeks. "I was so scared I'd lost you."

"I'm right here, okay? I'm not going anywhere." Ellie turned her head to place a kiss on Dina's temple, her hand stroking the skin of her waist beneath her shirt.

"I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried," Dina said, her fingers tracing the bandage on Ellie's thigh without applying pressure. Ellie hissed at the contact and Dina quickly pulled away, but the grin she was given in return made her glare playfully at her girlfriend. "Dumbass." She softly nudged at Ellie's shoulder.

"Hey! Sick girl here, you're supposed to be taking care of me," Ellie jibed with a laugh that vibrated against Dina's cheek, pressed against Ellie's chest. She savored the sound a heart beating with joy, but most importantly, beating.

"Oh hush you," Dina replied, voice light and at peace as she kissed Ellie's neck, lips lingering upon feeling a shiver. Ellie looked into brown eyes and scrunched her nose adorably, leaning her forehead on Dina's for a moment before placing a peck on her nose. "And stop being cute, I'm still mad at you."

"Mad at me? For what?" Ellie asked, eyebrows low and furrowed with confusion.

"Well for starters you didn't let me help you and made me worry for twenty-four whole hours." Dina made sure to let out an exaggerated sigh that Ellie knew was more teasing than anything else. There was truth to her words, but having Ellie in her arms made it difficult for Dina to hold onto her feelings of anger towards her. Ellie nodded her head as she could see how leaving the way she had could've hurt her girlfriend. "And don't get me started on you asking Jesse to tie me up."

"He what!?" Ellie sat up abruptly, legs already swinging off of the bed to have a talk with the boy. Dina chuckled lowly and coaxed her back into bed with a gentle hand on her chest.

"It's fine. I'm fine, he just tied my hands up," Dina explained with a shrug as she got comfortable on Ellie's chest again. She watched a torrent of emotions flit across Ellie's face and reached up to smooth her fingers against her eyebrows in hope of easing some of the tension, fingers lingering against the small gap on her eyebrow. "Joel gave him a good talking to, don't worry about it. All you have to worry about is staying in bed and getting better." Ellie nodded and finally wrapped her arm around her again.

"Fine," Ellie mumbled. "But he's gonna hear it next time I see him." Dina couldn't help but smile as Ellie puffed up her chest, ready to battler for her 'honor'.

"My hero," she breathed softly, and as Ellie held her close and looked down at her with glowing eyes, alive, and willing to pick a fight when she should be resting, she couldn't stop her next words even if she'd tried. "I love you."

Not surprisingly Ellie's response was a smile. There was nothing contrived about the way she squeezed her tight and leaned down to press their lips together until Dina had to pull away to catch a breath. Or the way she let their lips brush, breaths intermingling in something reminiscent of a kiss but not quite a kiss. Ellie ran her fingers through Dina's hair and after a long pause to take in the beauty of brown eyes staring back at her adoringly, she repeated those three words back to her.

It was no surprise that Dina's eyes became misty as she kissed Ellie, soft pecks that rocked her to her core. "Don't ever scare me like that again," Dina pleaded. To which Ellie nodded and pulled her into a tight embrace, head buried in Dina's neck to shower the skin there with kisses as she reassured her that it would be the first and last time she would do something so brave without talking it through with her. It was a compromise that Dina was more than happy to live with.


End file.
